More than 40% of parents of young children say they will not vaccinate them, survey reveals

(CNN) — The results of a new survey that the Kaiser Family Foundation published this Tuesday show that 43% of parents of children under 5 in the US say they will not vaccinate their children against covid-19. This is the largest percentage during the year that the Vaccine Monitor survey has asked the question.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized covid-19 vaccines for children up to 6 months in mid-June.

According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 17% of parents of children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years say that their child received the vaccine or will receive it as soon as possible. Another 27% said they will wait to see how well the doses work in other children, and 13% said they will vaccinate their child only if needed for school or daycare.

Although the percentage of parents who are not willing to vaccinate children in this age group is high, it is not much higher compared to other ages. According to the survey, 37% of parents of children between the ages of 5 and 11 and 28% of parents of children between the ages of 12 and 17 say they will not be vaccinated against covid-19.

Parent responses varied significantly when broken down by partisanship and vaccination status. Only 21% of Democratic-leaning parents said they would not vaccinate their young children, compared to 64% of Republican-leaning parents. The survey found that 27% of vaccinated parents said they would not vaccinate their children, compared to 64% of unvaccinated parents.

Concerns about vaccine side effects in children

“Concerns about vaccine safety and possible side effects are widespread among parents of unvaccinated children ages 6 months to 4 years,” the report’s authors wrote.

More than 8 in 10 parents of unvaccinated young children said they were concerned about serious side effects. Also, unknown long-term effects. Most of the vaccinated parents of unvaccinated children also shared these concerns.

While concerns about long-term effects and side effects were common across demographic lines, white parents reported fewer logistical concerns about vaccinating their young children. More than 4 in 10 black American parents expressed concern about taking time off work for the vaccine. And 45% of Hispanic parents said they were concerned about their children getting vaccinated by a trusted provider.

Interest in vaccine education

The survey data also shows room for improvement regarding vaccine education and a potential opportunity to vaccinate children who are not yet vaccinated. More than half of parents of young children said they felt the government’s information about vaccinating their children was misleading. Nearly 40% of parents of unvaccinated children responded that they did not have enough information about where to find a vaccine.

“Across all income groups, the majority of parents with a family income of at least $90,000 say that they consider the information from federal health agencies about vaccination of children under 5 years of age to be clear. While the majority of with lower incomes indicates that it is confounding,” the authors noted.

Vaccination-only clinics were popular during adult immunization. However, many parents of unvaccinated children consider vaccination along with regular medical appointments.

“Most parents of newly vaccinated children younger than 5 say they have not talked to their pediatricians or other health care providers about getting their child vaccinated,” the authors wrote. And most of those parents say they will have that conversation at their child’s next visit.

The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that infants and young children see a doctor at 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months, 30 months, 3 years, and 4 years old.